Distinct cultural communities that often, but don't always, correspond to ethnicity is exactly what you would expect from the construction of a "racial" hierarchy.
If we divided caucasian Americans into two groups, designated one group as "lesser," and then waited a few hundred years you would find similarly stark cultural differences. Again, race is entirely artificial. People were divided based only on superficial appearance and, once those divisions are enforced, cultural distance grows.
So, what you're experiencing is the outgrowth of a racial classification system. It's entirely artificial but, as you say, it also has real consequences. Even if, by magic, we were all transformed to have the same ethnic heritage, the cultural legacy of "race" would make "race" very apparent. African American and caucasian American culture is different - even though those differences are partially (largely? hard to say) from the racial structure imposed on African Americans.
The answer is in your final paragraph. Neither "white" or "AA" culture is a perfect fit for new arrivals (just ask Jamaicans or darker skinned Dominican ex-pats how well they feel seen by any American culture). Indeed, no single cultural approach is "right" and we do ourselves a disservice by searching for one. We have had structures and policies that have driven the two largest cultural groups (white and African American) apart for generations. Abating that push should be a high priority. We also need to be attentive to including as many cultural groups as possible in finding common ground and understanding for living together comfortably. All groups will need to "give" a little ground in terms of what they would most prefer and, in the interest of equity and facing history, many experts think caucasian Americans should give the most.
If we divided caucasian Americans into two groups, designated one group as "lesser," and then waited a few hundred years you would find similarly stark cultural differences. Again, race is entirely artificial. People were divided based only on superficial appearance and, once those divisions are enforced, cultural distance grows.
So, what you're experiencing is the outgrowth of a racial classification system. It's entirely artificial but, as you say, it also has real consequences. Even if, by magic, we were all transformed to have the same ethnic heritage, the cultural legacy of "race" would make "race" very apparent. African American and caucasian American culture is different - even though those differences are partially (largely? hard to say) from the racial structure imposed on African Americans.
The answer is in your final paragraph. Neither "white" or "AA" culture is a perfect fit for new arrivals (just ask Jamaicans or darker skinned Dominican ex-pats how well they feel seen by any American culture). Indeed, no single cultural approach is "right" and we do ourselves a disservice by searching for one. We have had structures and policies that have driven the two largest cultural groups (white and African American) apart for generations. Abating that push should be a high priority. We also need to be attentive to including as many cultural groups as possible in finding common ground and understanding for living together comfortably. All groups will need to "give" a little ground in terms of what they would most prefer and, in the interest of equity and facing history, many experts think caucasian Americans should give the most.